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SOE Live 2012: Smedley assuages ProSiebenSat.1 concerns
When announcing that European players can keep their accounts with Sony Online Entertainment during the move to ProSiebenSat.1, SOE President John Smedley specifically mentioned three games, concerning the players of other SOE titles. However, during an exclusive interview with Massively today, Smedley clarified that those three are not the only games involved. As he explained, those games were just the most topical, not the sole selections on an exclusive list. Players of other SOE games such as Vanguard can rest assured that they have the same opportunity to choose to stay with SOE. That answer covers all current titles that are already published, but what about future SOE titles? And how does the ProSieben partnership affect Station Access? And when will these changes be taking place for the different games? Continue reading for Smedley's insights on these matters.
SOE Live 2012: Dragon's Prophet trailer, website released
Sony Online Entertainment hinted at Dragon's Prophet during last night's SOE Live keynote. Now the firm has released the game's first official trailer as well as a new website destination. The class-based free-to-play fantasy MMO is a collaboration with Runes of Magic developer Runewaker, and it boasts some curious features like extensive player housing and frontier systems. The site says the housing system allows for the construction of "epic structures that defy imagination," while the frontier mechanics grant guild leaders the power to build a kingdom complete with citizens and a powerful military. Check out the gameplay trailer after the cut.
SOE Live 2012: Smedley says EQNext is the 'largest sandbox-style MMO ever designed'
As we reported last night, Sony Online Entertainment dropped a few hints regarding the future of the EverQuest franchise at its annual SOE Live convention in Las Vegas. Though CEO John Smedley's keynote address focused mainly on the firm's non-EQ portfolio, the EQNext tidbit was a doozy. I have to be honest with you. We have completely blown up the design of EverQuest Next. For the last year and a half we have been working on something we are not ready to show. Why did we blow up the design? The design was evolutionary. It was EverQuest III. It was something that was slightly better than what had come before it. It was slightly better. What we are building is something that we will be very proud to call EverQuest. It will be the largest sandbox-style MMO ever designed. The same exciting content delivered in a new way. Something you've never seen before. The MMO world has never seen before. We didn't want more kill 10 rats quests. We didn't want more of the same. If you look at the MMOs out there, they're delivering the same content over and over again. So are we. We need to change that. When we released EverQuest, we changed the world. We want to do that again with a different type of game. Smedley went on to mention that veteran EQ devs Dave Georgeson and Terry Michaels are spearheading the project, and he promised that it would be playable at next year's SOE Live event.
SOE Live 2012: PlanetSide 2 launching November 20th, 2012
Already alerted to the fact that tonight would be the night, PlanetSide 2 fans have been waiting with bated breath for the official launch date announcement at SOE Live. And now, the magic words have been uttered: PS2 will go live on November 20th, 2012. The beta, which began in July, is held up by devs as a real and honest beta in which systems are tested, rather than a soft launch. But some players wondered whether it'd be finished in time. During a press conference before the announcement, Creative Director Matt Higby addressed this concern by reminding players that an MMO will never be "finished" as in completed or done. As he put it, the game is "not finished because it's finished; it's finished when it's at a level [SOE] think[s] it should be." He further outlined the state of beta now, saying that the development team has turned the corner, moving from just implementing mechanics that were planned to reacting to beta players' feedback to improve and adjust the game. He emphasized, "Now we know what works better and what doesn't." Stay tuned as Massively brings you more details about PS2's beta, launch, and upcoming plans. What happens in Vegas doesn't stay in Vegas, at least where SOE Live is concerned! Massively sent intrepid reporters MJ Guthrie and Karen Bryan to this year's SOE Live, from which they'll be transmitting all the best fan news on PlanetSide 2, EverQuest II, DC Universe Online, and the other MMOs on SOE's world-class roster.
SOE Live 2012: Keynote announcements
SOE Live's keynote has just kicked off, and SOE notables like John Smedley have been taking the stage for MMO announcements. Here's a bit of what we've heard so far -- we'll be keeping this post updated as it progresses. Wizardry Online, due out in 2013, will be launching a beta on October 29th. EverQuest Next has been redone from scratch so that it's not EverQuest III. Smedley promises it's going to be the "world's largest sandbox-style MMO ever made." It'll be playable at the next Fan Faire. SOE is introducing a new currency, the Krono, which is basically tradable game time like PLEX. The Player Studio page goes live Friday, so fans can start submitting ideas from the games that are participating. EverQuest's Rain of Fear expansion launches November 28th; EverQuest II's Chains of Eternity expansion launches November 13th. SOE announced a partnership with Runewaker Entertainment of Runes of Magic fame for new game Dragon's Prophet, which will include non-instanced housing along with four player classes, a frontier system, action-based combat, and 300 unique dragons. Smedley is promising to embed a Twitch TV client directly in games. DC Universe Online is getting housing! You will be able to reserve your name for the PlanetSide 2 launch. As posted to Facebook, "Anyone who's already bought Alpha Squad will receive an email letting them know when they can reserve their name, and those purchasing for the first time will soon gain the ability to do the same as part of their purchase." This promotion ends November 15th. PlanetSide 2 launches November 20th, 2012! After the keynote, Smedley tweeted, ""We have enough time to polish and finish the game" and "there are many things on our test servers that you haven't seen yet." More beta invites are incoming. What happens in Vegas doesn't stay in Vegas, at least where SOE Live is concerned! Massively sent intrepid reporters MJ Guthrie and Karen Bryan to this year's SOE Live, from which they'll be transmitting all the best fan news on PlanetSide 2, EverQuest II, DC Universe Online, and the other MMOs on SOE's world-class roster.
SOE Live 2012: DC Universe Online's next DLC introduces player housing
Currently, player heroes in DC Universe Online can experience the same world as the iconic comic book heroes. They walk the same streets, see the same sights, and even fight the same villains. Players even interact with the legendary heroes themselves. But there was always one part of the experience that was missing. What super-hero experience is complete without a Batcave to call your own? Now, with DCUO's next DLC, called Home Turf, Sony Online Entertainment is filling that void: Players will have personal secret lairs. What's better than having a your own place to get away from the rigors of crime fighting in Gotham or Metropolis? Having a place you can personalize to your own style and tastes! And while having a place to hang your cape is all well and good, DCUO is going to offer more than just a private space. Not only will players be able to decorate their lairs, but they will be able to engage in battles right within their own four walls. Friend or foe, you're having company over, super-hero style! Watch tomorrow for Massively's exclusive interview with Creative Director Jens Andersen for a more in-depth look at lairs and this unique PvP dueling feature. In the meantime, check out the official announcement! What happens in Vegas doesn't stay in Vegas, at least where SOE Live is concerned! Massively sent intrepid reporters MJ Guthrie and Karen Bryan to this year's SOE Live, from which they'll be transmitting all the best fan news on PlanetSide 2, EverQuest II, DC Universe Online, and the other MMOs on SOE's world-class roster.
SOE Live tickets go on sale
It may no longer be Fan Faire in name, but SOE's annual fan festival still has the same spirit and focus. The newly branded SOE Live has opened up registrations for this fall's convention, and the studio is offering discounted prices if tickets are purchased now. SOE Live will take place from October 18th through the 21st at Bally's Casino in Las Vegas. The all-access pass for the event is $139, but if you register before August 1st, you can secure a discounted price of $119. Day passes will go for $39 if you're interested in just attending for a day, and evening passes, which allow access to just late-night activities, are $99 a pop. The studio welcomes families, as children ages 12 and below can get in for free. The festival has a full schedule, including dev panels, tournaments, giveaways, and parties. Players can shell out an additional $50 to have Sunday brunch with the devs or $40 for a laser tag event.
SOE renames Fan Faire, sets official dates
As corporate re-brandings go, this one isn't as wince-inducingly awful as something like, say, the Syfy Channel. Still, Sony Online Entertainment's Fan Faire had a nice ring to it, but now we're obliged to refer to the company's annual fan convention as SOE Live. Senior marketing VP Laura Naviaux says the change is due to SOE's MMO diversification. While the company is still known for its EverQuest and EverQuest II flagships, it's also put considerable time and effort into DC Universe Online and PlanetSide 2, neither of which conjures images of ye olde renaissance faire. This year's SOE Live will happen at Bally's in Las Vegas from October 18th through the 21st. Naviaux says that SOE die-hards can relax, since the event will be the same Fan Faire they've been enjoying for years despite the name change. "Previous event attendees can rest assured that we are not removing any of our established activities in order to accommodate the new players; rather, they can expect even more to make this the ultimate SOE fan experience," she said. [Source: SOE press release]
SOE's Fan Faire 2012 moving to the Fall
It's never too early to start planning for next year's convention season, and Sony Online Entertainment has announced that its annual Fan Faire get-together is vacating its traditional summer slot starting in 2012. SOE's Las Vegas shindig will move to the Fall, and the company is currently offering up a public vote to determine the exact dates. Participants can select between the weekends of September 13th through September 16th, September 27th through September 30th, or October 18th through October 21st. In a post on SOE's official boards, Linda "Brasse" Carlson explains that the bump is mostly due to the availability of the venue, which in turn keeps costs down and enables SOE to continue hosting the fan-friendly event.
The Daily Grind: Have you ever dressed up as a game character?
What to wear... what to wear.... With various conventions like SOE's Fan Faire and DragonCon offering contests with prizes and at least a few minutes of fame, it's no wonder some people harness their creativity and pull out all the stops to create a costume. After all, you love your game, so why not be a part of it? From Ratonga to superheroes, player avatars to mobs, there seems to be no shortage of costume ideas and cosplayers strutting their stuff. Some ideas are elaborate and some are a bit less involved. But really, who needs a reason?! Whether for an actual event, just for your office party, or just in the safety of your own home (with friends carefully sneaking YouTube videos), have you ever dressed up as a character in a game? Which one? Fess up! If you haven't yet, have you considered it? And who/what would you be? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Tattered Notebook: Fan Faire knowns and unknowns
As we inch closer to Fan Faire, speculation begins to mount about what news EverQuest II fans will finally get to hear. Last year, players were smarting from the announcement of EQII Extended, the free-to-play server, and it seemed to deflate the mood among EQII Fan Faire attendees. This year, EQII is full of knowns and unknowns, to borrow a phrase from former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. We have known knowns, which are things that we know we know. And then there are known unknowns, or things that we know but we actually don't know. Lastly, there are unknown unknowns, which are things that we don't know we don't know. That's where things are in EQII currently. Confused? Me too! This week's Tattered Notebook will look at what we know and what we hope to find out more about at this year's Fan Faire.
PlanetSide Next to be unveiled at SOE Fan Faire
Even eight years after its launch, Sony Online Entertainment's PlanetSide still retains a healthy (and borderline fanatical) playerbase. This is almost certainly owed largely to the fact that PlanetSide remains one of the scant few MMOFPS games on the market. PlanetSide players, though, have been thirsting for more for quite some time. Thankfully, it appears the wait will soon be over. Rumors have been flying for what seems like ages alongside a few sparse screenshots, but PlanetSide Next will soon be officially unveiled at the upcoming SOE Fan Faire this July. John Smedley, President of SOE, announced on his Twitter, "For all you PlanetSide Next fans, stay tuned for a big announcement at our upcoming Fan Faire in Vegas!" You heard the man! Keep your weapons in their holsters for just a while longer and keep an eye on Massively because we'll be sure to have all the freshest information as soon as it's out.
Sony Online Entertainment announces Backstage Blogger contest
Are you a blogger? Do you want to go to the Sony Online Entertainment Fan Faire this year? Then you should enter SOE's Backstage Blogger contest! The rules are simple: Make a video or written blog to show the SOE team how much you adore your favorite SOE title(s) and send it in! A panel of judges will rate the submissions and select four lucky winners from the pool of applicants. Those four fortunate folks will be awarded an all-access pass to the Sony Online Entertainment Fan Faire as well as a Sony Bloggie Touch Camera Kit and the ability to publish their posts from the convention on the SOE Station Blog for the duration of the Fan Faire. If you think you've got a shot at the prize, then head on over to the official forum post for the full set of rules and policies. Good luck, readers!
SOE Fan Faire site back up, early-bird pricing extended
Following the chaos of the PSN breach, the Sony Online Entertainment Fan Faire website is now back up. To sweeten the deal for their fans, Sony has extended early-bird pricing until May 31, allowing attendees to get an all-access pass -- usually $129 -- for the discounted price of $119. The all-access pass includes all of the perks of the standard day-passes plus a copy of the most recent expansions for both EverQuest and EverQuest II, unique in-game items for SOE titles, and access to evening events for those of drinking age. The Fan Faire itself is a gathering to celebrate all things SOE. Prominent faces from SOE will be hosting panels to give players and fans a look behind-the-scenes at their favorite games. It's also an excellent opportunity to schedule a meet-up with your in-game friends and to get together in a friendly, exciting environment. If you're interested in attending, registration is open at the official site.
The Tattered Notebook: How not to sell an expansion
One month. That's all that's left before EverQuest II's new expansion, Destiny of Velious, goes live. I've been looking forward to this expansion since 2009, when rumors first emerged that there was some work on Velious content quietly going on. It's my favorite content from EverQuest, and it really marked a Golden Age for those who look back fondly at the game. But with one month left, I'm left feeling frustrated and concerned. There's just too much silence about the expansion and too many questions left unanswered. Read on to see why the blank slate of Destiny of Velious is a troublesome sign for players.
The Daily Grind: Did you go to a game convention last year?
It is, in many ways, the ultimate gamer's pilgrimage -- to make the long trek to attend a gaming convention. Whether it be PAX, Dragon*Con, Fan Faire, BlizzCon, Leipzig or GamesCom, it's surprising the amount of money, time, effort and willingness to stand in line with sweaty people that we put up with just to see the latest games and talk to our favorite developers. It's hard to explain the allure of these conventions to outsiders, but there's something thrilling in seeing crowds of people who share your same hobby and get excited over all the same stuff you do. Plus, there's the swag. OH, the swag! Did you make your pilgrimage in 2010? Did you manage to get away to a fabulous retreat (from reality) and attend a game convention? And was it everything you'd hoped, or did it let you down? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Destiny of Velious details announced for EverQuest II
This year's Fan Faire has been kind to fans of EverQuest II and EverQuest, with the announcement of new expansions and a mysterious further project for the franchise. The fine team at The EQ2 Wire sat in on a discussion of all of the new features and details of the upcoming expansion, Destiny of Velious, and they transcribed their notes from the event. While the notes are a bit disjointed, they should give players quite a bit to look forward to and a number of tidbits to munch on. If there has to be a downside, it's likely the fact that the Othmir will not be added as a playable race -- in fact, no race will be added to the playable roster. But there's a lot for fans to mull over even with the questions that the team declined to answer. Most interesting is that the expansion's release will be split into two parts, with part two possibly coming via update rather than a separate release. There are also plans for flying mounts in every overland zone of the game, rather than the "some" that was announced earlier. EverQuest II players should promptly take a look at the latest news, as it's going to be an interesting ride.
SOE announces Backstage Blogger contest
Want to see your name in lights, as well as take a peek behind the curtain at Sony Online Entertainment's annual Fan Faire convention? You're in luck, because SOE wants you (and three other guest bloggers) to record your experiences from the event that's happening August 5th - 8th in Las Vegas. Contest winners will be awarded a Sony bloggie Camera Kit, a Fan Faire Platinum Pass, and access to post both written and video entries on the official Station blog throughout the event. Submissions will be accepted from June 16th to July 1st, and should show how much you love your favorite SOE titles. Written and video format entries are acceptable, so be sure to check out the full contest details at the official site.
Sony Online Entertainment announces EverQuest server merges
If you've felt like the population in EverQuest was on the low side lately, you can expect that problem to disappear within the next month or so. Sony Online Entertainment will be gradually cutting the number of servers in half beginning June 22nd. They'll complete the process by July 6th, leaving ten servers in place of the original twenty. It's a big undertaking, and SOE have done some detailed planning ahead. The forum announcement contains the list of planned mergers, answers to common questions, and important information about the deletion of inactive characters and shared banks. They are further easing the transition by offering one free server transfer for all affected characters as well as discounts on race, gender, and name changes. If you've got characters in EverQuest -- active or inactive -- these server merges are very likely going to affect you. Head over to the EQ forums and read the full announcement for all the details.
Highlights from the SOE Fan Faire 2009 community address
Sony Online Entertainment Fan Faire 2009 is happening in Las Vegas, and of course they've had a number of things to unveil so far. SOE president John Smedley gave his community address last evening, and other speakers made an appearance as well. We've got a few highlights from SOE Fan Faire 2009 for you: Station Cash Smedley jumped right in by talking about the state of the SOE game lineup and some of the new directions they've explored with them in this past year. One of those new directions has been the introduction of Station Cash, and he talked about the growing adoption of Station Cash among SOE game subscribers in EverQuest and EverQuest II, as well as how it will soon be tied into new services and customization options. He announced a partnership with Hewlett-Packard which will allow players to purchase matte print images of art from the games using Station Cash. You'll be able to have your own character rendered in a high-quality art print, or even have your entire guild depicted and sent to you as a hardcopy art book. EverQuest: Underfoot and EverQuest II: Sentinel's Fate On the topic of EverQuest, remember that mention we had of SOE trademarking new EQ properties? It turns out these are the new expansions: EverQuest: Underfoot and EverQuest II: Sentinel's Fate. Smedley kicked off the EQ announcements by reflecting back on 10 years of EverQuest and looking to where the IP is headed in the future. EverQuest II producer Alan "Brenlo" Crosby discussed the game's sixth expansion, Sentinel's Fate, where players will travel to the land of Odus and see what's happened there since The Shattering. He dropped a few details about this next expansion, slated for a February 2010 launch, and the updates they plan to release between now and Sentinel's Fate. These updates will include the ability to downtier characters, allowing you to go back and replay older content, plus achievements are coming to EverQuest II. In addition, the EQ II level cap will increase by ten levels. SOE hasn't forgotten about their long-term fans either, those who have stuck with the original EverQuest through the years. EverQuest producer Thomas Terrazas announced the sixteenth EQ expansion, Underfoot, which will launch in November 2009. Underfoot will feature 12-15 zones at launch, with bonus zones and additional content to release in April of 2010. Underfoot will have twice as many weapons as any of the previous 15 expansions, a new focus targeting window (allowing you to add specific targets to your list, monitor health of friends and foes), and achievement tracking that will help players remain aware of the objectives to be completed in their progression path. "In other words," Terrazas said, "you won't have to go looking online on somebody else's website so see what you need. It'll be in-game." Fan Faire 2009 attendees will get both expansions for free.
